Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch at San Francisco 49ers Training Camp
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Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch at San Francisco 49ers Training Camp
T
he NFL preseason is finally over. Four weeks and many training camp practices later, all 32 teams are shifting focus and getting ready for Week One of the regular season. For each and every franchise, the goal is simple– be the team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come February. But before teams can begin preparing for the start of the season, they must first make cuts in order to trim the roster down to 53 players.
For the San Francisco 49ers, they face a lot of tough decisions regarding their roster. While there are a lot of guys who have cemented their place on the team, there are plenty of others who are on the bubble and could be on the outside looking in. On Aug. 24, 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco gave his prediction on what the 53-man roster could look like for San Francisco to start things off.
Maiocco’s Prediction
Maiocco’s prediction does not have a lot of surprises, but given how NFL rosters constantly change, some of the players in the initial prediction may not be on the team for the whole season. Below is what Maiocco thinks the first 53-man roster of the season will look like:
Quarterback (2)
Brock Purdy
Mac Jones
*Non-football injury — Kurtis Rourke (knee)
Running back (5)
Christian McCaffrey
Kyle Juszczyk
Brian Robinson
Isaac Guerendo
Jordan James
Wide receiver (5)
Ricky Pearsall
Jauan Jennings
Jordan Watkins
Skyy Moore
Russell Gage
IR – Jacob Cowing
PUP — Brandon Aiyuk (knee)
Suspension — Demarcus Robinson
Tight end (4)
George Kittle
Luke Farrell
Brayden Willis
Jake Tonges
Offensive line (9)
Trent Williams
Dominick Puni
Colton McKivitz
Jake Brendel
Ben Bartch
Connor Colby
Spencer Burford
Nick Zakelj
Austen Pleasants
IR – Isaiah Prince
Suspension – Isaac Alarcon
Defensive line (9)
Nick Bosa
Mykel Williams
Alfred Collins
CJ West
Bryce Huff
Jordan Elliott
Kalia Davis
Sam Okuayinonu
Sebastian Valdez
PUP — Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
IR — Kevin Givens (pectoral)
Linebacker (6)
Fred Warner
Dee Winters
Nick Martin
Luke Gifford
Tatum Bethune
Curtis Robinson
Cornerback (5)
Deommodore Lenoir
Renardo Green
Upton Stout
Dallis Flowers
Chase Lucas
IR – Jakob Robinson
Safety (4)
Jason Pinnock
Marques Sigle
Ji’Ayir Brown
Siran Neal
PUP – Malik Mustapha (knee)
Special teams (3)
K Jake Moody
P Thomas Morstead
LS Jon Weeks
Kyle Shanahan Comments Postgame
After the 49ers’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers, head coach Kyle Shanahan talked about the decision making that goes into deciding the 53-man roster and said while it is very difficult, he makes sure to tell the players that were left off that they could earn a spot down the line. Injuries, inconsistent play and other factors lead to constant roster changes throughout the 17 game season.
“You spend all this time to figure out your 53, but it’s like I tell our players, the final 53 is never the final 53,” Shanahan said. “That’s just the first week of the season. It changes throughout the year. There’s still a lot to work on. We’ll make those decisions on Tuesday, but we’re not going to stop making them as the year goes.”
Teams have until Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. eastern to decide on their 53-man rosters ahead of Week One. Once the 49ers finalize their initial roster, they will lock in and be hard at work on preparing for a road matchup with the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the 2025 campaign.